Matrix Maturity

A colleague was driving to meet with a new client and she was late. She’d taken a wrong turn and called me for guidance. I took out my phone and opened the map application. After I typed in the destination address, I asked, “Where are you?”

"Successful change, even small in scale, creates momentum and helps bring people on board. Leaders gravitate toward limited-risk environments, and a small initiative with a maximized chance of success is a great way to start."

Some people think that matrix management is a “hot” new concept. Some think it’s an outdated management technology. Others think of it in terms of the challenges working in a matrix environment presents.

This month we are looking at the concept of matrix maturity – the ongoing growth and optimization of an organizational matrix as its members develop a deeper understanding of their roles within it. As a case in point, we offer the Grocery Manufacturers Association – a trade association headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Are you leading a medium to large-sized organization with multiple business strategies? If so, you are operating in a matrix, and effectively pursuing more than one business strategy simultaneously requires matrix maturity. Matrix-mature organizations use an up-to-date organizational operating system.

Organizations ready to shift from Vertical Management 1.0 (VM 1.0) to the Matrix Management 2.0™ (MM 2.0™) Operating System (OS) don't do it in a single leap. Instead, organizational leaders engage in an ongoing process of reinventing the way they manage and lead.